Sanctuary
by Nizuno Mikomi
Summary: NEW CHAPTER AT LAST!!! Ryou drops by to apologize for his Yami's behaviour and while he's there, Mik-chan's own Dark Side comes out to play. Some language. Mikomi's a potty-mouth. R&R Thanx to my readers for their patience.
1. Prologue

Tra la la la la . . . the semester's over, I have no life! So off I went to my computer after watching Yu-Gi-Oh and working on the Ascension scene from "Angels Would Fall" for two hours straight . . and God Almighty, look what came out! R&R and PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME! Oh yeah, and uh . . . this is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic and I'm not too terribly familiar with the series yet, so . . . be tolerant of my stupid mistakes, 'cause I'm sure to make at least a few along the way.  
  


Disclaimer: I own nothing, so don't sue me. You'll get nothing if you do, anyway. I'm so poor that I gave my friends anime jpegs for Christmas last year. Really . . . .   
  
  
  


The walls were a practically non-existent shade of silver, light as noonday clouds toward the top, darkening to thunderstorm grey where they met the floor. The Guardian paced along these walls, bright green eyes on her black leather boots as they sank into the bruised twilight purple carpeting. The furniture, which went completely unnoticed . . . at least for now . . . was all fairly comfortable, all colored similar shades of dark plum and indigo. Everything was meticulously in order, evenly matched, scrupulously perfect . . . .

"And really, REALLY BORING!" Kanshisha said aloud to her empty Soul Room. Her light alto voice tones rang back to her in the stillness of oblivion, drawing a melancholy sigh from the eons-old Archangel, Guardian of the Realm of Earth. Completing her nine hundred seventy-sixth circuit (no really, she'd counted) of her thirty-foot square domain, the silver-haired girl plopped onto her bed, idly toying with the end of one of the dozens of silver braids the covered her head, most of them no more than a few hours old.

For Kanshisha, a full head of dredlocks was the surest sign of complete, total, and utter boredom.

And this was the third time this week . . . .

Not that she really knew how much time exactly had gone by since the last Summoner had called her, fed her enough magic to take on a true physical form. She counted her sleeping and waking cycles, counting each cycle as a day. Considering the fact that, in human terms at least, she usually went for several days on end without sleeping, the thousand years she'd spent locked alone in this comfortable but monotonous room seemed much, much longer.

Alone . . . .

She snorted at the irony. When had she ever known anything else? The Summoner's Ritual of Ascension didn't last more than a minute or two, and her possession of a physical body not much longer than that, never long enough to have known companionship of even the most passing sort, let alone anything even remotely intimate.

And her Soul Room would admit no other but herself, unless she willed it. In all the eons she had existed, not once had Kanshisha ever met another being, human or otherwise, whom she trusted enough to call them into her sanctuary.

Well, there was that and the fact that most beings who tried to comprehend what she was ended up decorating the walls with a more . . . tangible shade of grey . . . .

"It would be nice," she said, aloud again, for there was no one to overhear her. "Just once . . . to know someone . . . anyone."

No, not necessarily anyone . . . someone who could at least carry on an intelligent conversation. Maybe someone who could finally beat her at chess . . . if it were possible. She glanced over at the ivory and amethyst chessboard in the corner. In the real world, it would have been overlaid by a two-foot thick coating of dust. It had been years (by her calculations, anyway) since Kanshisha had last sat at that board, outsmarting herself to pass the time. 

"Someone with a brain . . . yes, that would be lovely." She thought a moment more. "Preferably young . . . male . . . " A slightly demented grin began to tweak the corner of her mouth. "And handsome."

These thoughts whirling in her mind, the Guardian rolled off her bed, sat cross-legged on the floor, and cast her consciousness into the abyss, searching . . . praying . . . .

Hours passed . . . then days . . . then weeks . . . and then . . . .

A light.  
  
  
  


Oo . . . cliffhanger-ness o' doom! R&R, pls. See if you can guess who this . . "light" (and I use the term loosely) is before I post the next chapter! I'll give you one single hint: if you think it's who I think you'll think it is, you're close, but you're also way off.


	2. Chapter One: Tweak

Yes, as promised, another chapter. The same disclaimers apply . . . with the following amendment, which I forgot last time (like an idiot): while I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of it's characters, I DO own Kanshisha. She's my creation, as is the whole Summoner mythology, which is the basis for another big story currently in the works, Angels Would Fall. After several convos with Yue-chan, my muse suddenly pitched me this completely RANDOM idea . . and like a complete moron, I submitted to writing. I have no spine and WAY too much time on my hands. Also, seeing as I don't know much about the actually YGO storyline or the other charas, I've placed this story in "convoverse," which is to say, in the realm of the ongoing RPG between myself and Yue-chan (Digikitty). The convoverse involves the following ppl:

Yugi and Yami - Do I REALLY need to tell you about them? Well, there is one difference: Yugi's older now, 18 or 19ish.

Mik-chan - The slightly more amiable version of Nizuno Mikomi . . and less prone to violence. Turns into NM when angered or threatened.

Nizuno Mikomi - Mik-chan's dark side; an ex-assassin from Meiji Era Japan. Check out my profile to read her story.

Yue - Um . . I dunno. . . human girl with wings and a tendency to be possessed by demons; married to Miroku; mother of three (Jr, Shin'yuu, Kansei).

Miroku - The lech monk from Inuyasha. Nuff said.

Aoi Tsukai - Former bounty hunter and the Summoner of Light for the current generation. (See 'Angels Would Fall' ficlet for more on that.) Engaged/attached to Yugi; mother of twins, Amai and Yuuga. Very protective of her family and her loved ones. Has a somewhat violet temper (seeing as she's NM's descendant) and will pick a fight just to have something to do.

That about does it, except for one more thing: in the convoverse, Yugi and Yami still share a body, but for the purposes of this fic, they will be separate.

  
  


Before diving headfirst into this newest installment, I'd like to take a brief moment to thank my reviewers, whose feedback means SO much to me.

Yue-chan (Digikitty): As I said before, "-.- Damn you for knowing me so well." And I would've told you, if I hadn't come up with the idea at about . . oh, the crack of five in the morning when I couldn't sleep! And then you weren't on, so . . . :P nyeh, you know it exists now! ^.^

demongoddess: *raises an eyebrow* The same thing? Do tell . . . interesting. I'll have to find time to read this ficcie of yours, then. Here's the update you asked for so very nicely. ^.^ Who exactly did you want it to be, by the way? Thus far, only Yue and I know . . plus maybe a few more people who have read this but HAVEN'T REVIEWED! (*glare* EEEEEEVIL) *blushes* Gee, thanks . . . I'm honored that you think I'm so talented. ^.^

Sweet Sorceress: Thank you muchly . . . this fic is shaping up to be semi-long and fairly straightforward. The only things that might be confusing are Kanshisha's language (she talks like a dictionary) and the mythology. Any questions may be addressed to me in a review or by email.

  
  


Well, that about does it for the reviews. Not that I don't appreciate the three people that bothered to review me, but I REALLY hope I'll get more reviews for this chappie. Reviews make me HAPPY . . and they quell my violent/destructive tendencies. . . . . on to the ficcie.

  
  


"..." - speaking out loud

/.../ - Yugi's thought-speak

//...// - Yami's thought-speak

*...* sound effects

===== - scene change

  
  


Sanctuary

By: Nizuno Mikomi

  
  


Chapter One: Tweak

  
  


"Checkmate."

"MAN! You beat me again!" Mik-chan griped, staring at the chess board. "That's three times in a row!" Across from her, Yami grinned smugly.

"Four, actually," he returned, smoothly. "Which means you now owe me exactly . . . ."

"Three hundred seventy-one dollars and eleven cents," Yue broke in, shoving her calculator back into her pocket. Mik-chan glared at her winged friend.

"Thank you," she growled. Yue smiled serenely.

"Yea, verily," Aoi put in, cracking a smile. "You'd think after losing the first two so spectacularly, she might learn, but noooo . . . ." Mik-chan turned her infamous Glare O' Death on the blue-haired bounty hunter.

"And you'd also think that after the last seventeen times I chased your ass with a rolled up newspaper for insulting me, YOU might learn . . . but apparently that's not the case."

More grins from Aoi. "Nope."

Aoi's grins, being highly contagious, spread to the rest of the group as the girl took a seat at the table. Yami turned his crimson eyes to her. "You want to challenge me?"

"You bet your ass," Aoi replied, leaning an elbow on the table. "And I'll win, too." 

A raised eyebrow from Yami. "Do tell."

"Yep. Chess never was Mik-chan's strong suit . . . but it's my favorite game." Aoi rolled up her long sleeves in an elaborate "I won't be cheating" gesture and began to rearrange her pieces. Yami reached for his pawns and hesitated with the strangest expression. His eye twitched once, then he shook his head and picked up the pieces.

"Something the matter, Needle Noggin?" Aoi smirked. "The pawns aren't poisonous, I promise." Yami studied the board silently. 

Yugi nudged him with an elbow. /Ne, Yami, what is it?/ Yami shrugged elaborately.

//Nothing, aibou . . . I thought I heard someone calling me, that's all.// Yugi regarded him skeptically, then turned his attention back to the game. 

"Let's duel, Tsukai," Yami intoned dramatically. Aoi moved her first pawn and smiled across the table at the Game Master.

"Your move."

  
  


=====

  
  


Kanshisha's eyes flew open and she breathed deeply. The call had gone out. Now all she had to do was wait and see who answered.

Easing herself to her feet, the bronze-skinned Archangel stretched her arms high over her head and smoothed out her snow white clothing. Not for the first time, she regarded her apparel and wondered if human fashion would still accept her wardrobe: a long flowing gown slit all the way up to her waist in four places, leaving long trains hanging down, through which her toned legs showed whenever she moved. The bodice was cut away on the sides and low at the neckline, showing off her slim torso and well-formed bust. Loose bell sleeves hung down over her hands, the nails of which were painted a glittering silver. Black leather boots encased her legs up to the knee and added two inches to her height.

Given the eternal ambient light given off by the walls of her room, Kanshisha could see perfectly into every single corner. Nevertheless, she pointed a fingertip at several votive candles grouped together in a bracket on one wall. The candles spontaneously burst into flame, creating a soft, golden glow. The Guardian smiled slightly, enjoying the small change, and proceeded to ready herself for a much-needed rest. Off came the white ceremonial garment and the leather boots, then whatever clothing was left. Never having had nosy neighbors or any other reason to wear pajamas, Kanshisha saw absolutely no problem with sleeping in the nude. 

As she climbed into her bed and settled beneath the cool black sheets, she adjusted the protective Wards surrounding her Soul Room to admit the owner of the light she had finally made contact with somewhere out in the abyss of the subconscious, should he or she decide to drop by while she slept. These small alterations made, she turned onto her side, folded the sheets down to her waist, laid her shining silver head on the pillow, and promptly fell asleep.

  
  
  
  


Well, there's your update, folks. 

In case you haven't guessed, and for those of you that have, yes, Yami IS the "light" Kanshisha made contact with during her meditations. I told you it was a paradox. And once again, damn you, Yue, for knowing me so well. ^.^ (The little wench guessed who it was right away. Gosh, was it THAT obvious?)

The next chapter will feature these two meeting for the first time, I promise. When it will be up, I can't say for certain. Next week looks promising. 

Anyway, if you've read this far, you'd better review or swarms of small rabid rodents shall invade you home and set up housekeeping in your underwear drawer. *evil grin*


	3. Chapter Two: Get Off My Back

OHOHOHOHOHOHOOO! I'm finally back with more material for your viewing pleasure. Well, I kinda have to be . . . Yue-chan's threatening to send her psycho evil turkeys after me. Yikes . . . . *winces* 

God help me, I believe her . . . .

So, here I am with a second chapter, in which we shall delve a little deeper into the convoverse and the relationships between the charas therein. And YES, Yami and Kanshisha will be meeting, have no fear!

Just a little warning to all those of you who are . . . averse to reading citrus . . . there may be some lemony goodness later . . . MUCH later . . . in the story, either YugixAoi or YamixKanshisha. Or both, why not! ^.^ 

But for now, I'm gonna stick to the set rating. No lemon. A twist of lime here and there, lots of sugary-fluffy-cuddly goodness to rot your teeth, but no lemon. Yet.

For my one other reviewer besides Yue, demongoddess, thanx muchly for the review! As for Yami and Kanshisha, let's just say she's kind of taken on a life of her own. I think Yami's in store for one hell of a surprise: a woman who's just as stubborn and proud as he is. O.O;;; So, I predict a lot more than just sparks will be flying. How about furniture? ^.^

DISCLAIMER: You know, I'm getting sick of repeating myself . . . aw hell, you and I both know I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, more's the pity, I could use the cash. So why bother? 

All right . . . *cracks knuckles* . . . off we go . . . . *turns up her "Spirit" CD and gets the heck to work*  
  


Sanctuary

By: Nizuno Mikomi  
  


Chapter Two: Get Off My Back  
  


Aoi set her knight down very slowly and precisely, then sat back and smiled triumphantly across the table at the Game Master.

"Check. Soon to be checkmate."

Yami examined the board, unperturbed. "Not yet," he said, toppling her knight with his bishop. Aoi's lip curled in annoyance at the state of the board. Yami grinned smugly.

"Checkmate."

"What?! Aw, no way, no WAY!"

Yue leaned around Mik-chan, who had settled at Yami's elbow to watch.

"'Fraid so, Aoi-chan," she said. "He got you." Aoi flopped back in her chair and put both hands over her face, laughing in spite of herself.

"Damnit, Yami, they don't call you the Game King for nothing!" she smiled. "But I'm gonna beat you at SOMETHING one of these days, I swear I will!" Unable to pass up the opportunity, Yugi grinned and decided to put in his two cents worth.

"I know something no one will ever do better than you," he piped up. There was a tangible pause. Yue glanced at him sideways. Aoi raised an eyebrow. Mik-chan smothered a grin, her sick mind working several paces ahead of everyone else's.

"Do tell," Aoi said. "What's that?" Yugi smiled back at her and winked.

"Me."

Pandemonium.

Mik-chan fell over laughing hysterically. Aoi blushed and giggled. Yami sweatdropped, looking rather disturbed by his supposedly innocent Light's response. Yue swatted Aoi upside the head.

"Ite!" Aoi glared at her winged friend. "What the heck didja swat ME for?! I didn't say it!"

"Yes, but if you hadn't corrupted the poor boy, he never would've said it in the first place!" Yue fumed, adding a few more swats for good measure. "Bad bad bad Aoi!"

"Ite-te-te-te!" Aoi rubbed her sore noggin and glared daggers at Yue. Then she turned to her koishii, put him in a headlock and gave him a very thorough noogie-ing.

"HEY!" Yugi protested, squirming to no avail.

"Get me in trouble, will ya!" Aoi growled playfully. "I'll teach you, you little radioactive hedgehog!"

"Teach me later . . . elsewhere!" More sweatdropping and hysterical laughter ensued. Yami's eye twitched. Mik-chan looked up from her insane giggling long enough to deliver a line.

"Oi, what's the matter with you, Needle Noggin? You look like you just swallowed a bug."

"I . . . I can't believe he said that," Yami managed, his voice shaking a little. Of course, this set Mik-chan off afresh and it was several hours before she could look at Yugi or Yami without cracking up.  
  


* * *

"Now really, Tsukai, you'll have do better than that," Yami scolded. "I'm afraid you'll never beat me if you insist on continuing your impression of a rag mop." 

"Rag mop, my ass. Just you wait, Sonic," Aoi growled. "We'll see who wipes the floor with whom. Who's next?" 

"I've got one for you," Yue said. 

"Do your worst," Yami replied, leaning back into the couch, smiling that permanently affixed smug smile, pretending not to notice the dark and gruesome glares a certain bounty hunter was sending his way. 

The entire crew was lounging around late in the evening, too tired to do anything highly active but not quite ready to retire for the night, challenging Yami and Aoi with the best riddles they could come up with. Originally, the game had been something of a "Let's Stump Yami" fest, but when Aoi had announced her intentions of besting the Game King at SOMETHING earlier, Miroku, in his infinite wisdom (-.-; right), had suggested she join in. Not one to pass up a golden opportunity, Aoi readily agreed.

Thus far, things were not looking promising.

"What is it," Yue said, "That the person who makes it doesn't need it, the person who buys it doesn't use it, and the person who does use it never sees it." Yami closed his eyes and put a fist to his chin. Aoi's brow furrowed and she chewed her lower lip. Both of their brains raced to solve the riddle ahead of the other.

*Come . . . .*

Yami jumped. That voice again! It was definitely calling him, but who and from where and why . . . . 

"I've got it!" Aoi cried, clapping her hands. "A coffin!"

Yue smiled. "You got it." Aoi hopped off the couch, grabbed her somewhat reluctant koishii by the hand and proceeded to waltz him around the room in a silly sort of victory dance.

"BOOYA, Tongari!" she hooted as they passed Yami, who was still trying to figure out what was going on. A second ago, he had been trying to wrestle with two riddles at once, now his Light was being tangoed across the rug by an obviously victorious and very enthusiastic Aoi. 

"Congratulations," he quipped, his kingly facade, the one Mik-chan called his "game face," slipping smoothly back into place. "That makes . . . what . . . three to eight now?" Aoi sobered immediately, all but dropping poor Yugi onto the carpet as she stalked back to her appointed place.

"I'll beat you yet, Needle Noggin," she promised, trying her best to look menacing around a sudden and gigantic yawn.

"Anytime you're ready."

"Self-assured little prick . . . ." Aoi muttered darkly.

"I know one!" Yugi piped up, dragging himself back into his chair. "What is it that you can put in a corner and it will travel all over the world?"

"A stamp," they said at the same time, which only served to double the number of daggers Aoi glared at Yami over the course of the next few minutes.

"Damn you . . . ."  
  


* * *

Later, after everyone had finally called it quits and gone to bed, Yami stood at his open window, his face turned into the cool night breeze. His thoughts were on the mysterious voice once more. Twice now it had called to him. No one else had heard it, even though to him, it was as clear as a bell. Ergo, the message this voice had to relay was meant only for him. But what a message! A summons? To where? From who? And why? 

The King of Games let out a long deep sigh. "One way to find out." He closed his ruby eyes and let go. His soul drifted from his body with his next breath. He felt the call again, like a homing beacon, and as he followed the tug of the voice into the Realm of Souls, his physical form gradually faded away, until there was nothing at the window but the night.  
  


* * *

In the room next door, Yugi awoke with a start and sat bolt upright, a sharp cry tearing itself from his lips. Aoi was at his side in less than an eyeblink. 

"Daijoubu?" she asked softly, patting his back between his shoulder blades. Yugi's bright eyes were wide and staring blankly, his breath coming in frightened gasps. She could feel his heart thundering through the bony shield under her hand.

"N-No . . . ." he managed after a few seconds. His throat was parched, his mouth felt shriveled. Reaching over to turn on the light, Aoi handed him a glass of water from the night stand before he could even ask. He swallowed it gratefully, nodding to her, which she understood to mean "thank you," so far advanced was their non-verbal communication. Handing the empty glass back to Aoi, he took several more deep breaths. His body wanted to curl in on itself and he coiled up into a fetal ball, wrapping his arms around his knees, shivering. His entire brain seemed muffled in a kind of fog.

"Bad dream?" Her hand was tracing knobs of his spine now, steadily up and down his back, a motion meant to reassure and calm. The muted lamplight painted her bronzed skin a delectable creamy shade of tan, but he was too upset to even notice. Likewise, Aoi deliberately ignored the play of light and shadow on the taut muscles of his shoulders that usually drew her focus away from everything else in the room.

"I . . . I don't know." His voice shook and she gathered his body into her lap, leaning back against the headboard.

"Can't remember?"

"No . . . ." The fog was lifting some now, just enough to make him wish it hadn't as he was suddenly flooded with the most devastating sense of loss he had ever known. He hiccuped, choked on a sob, and began to cry, his tears falling on Aoi's skin and wending little trails down over her bare chest. She hugged him tighter and rocked slowly back and forth, murmuring softly to him.

"Shhh, daijoubu, koishii . . . I'm here . . . I'm here . . . it's okay . . . ."

Welcome as the reassurances were, he couldn't help disagreeing. Things most certainly were NOT okay. He attempted to reach Yami through the link they shared.

Nothing.

Not the deliberate silence he felt when Yami was blocking him, just . . . nothing. Yami simply wasn't there.

Something was terribly wrong.  
  


* * *

OK, so I lied. You're gonna have to wait for the next chapter for Yami and Kanshisha to meet. Gomen ne, don't flame me please. My writing has a life of it's own and this ending sort of made itself up. Eh heh heh . . . . ^.^; 

I PROMISE I will start work on the next chapter immediately and the FIRST THING that will happen is Yami arriving in Kanshisha's Soul Room. Really . . . honest.

R&R, pls! Ja ne. ^.^


	4. Chapter Three: Bouncing Off The Walls

NEW CHAPTER! FINALLY! I've been forever trying to think out this doggoned scene, and then ff.n was down for a while, so forgive the long wait. ^.^;

Standard disclaimers for Yu-Gi-Oh. It ain't mine. Yue belongs to . . . well, Yue. Aoi, Mik-chan, and Kanshisha are mine, everyone else isn't. -.-; What a shaaaame . . . think of all the wonderful yaoi goodness I could put into the series. I have a sudden vision of me being sued by Kid's WB. 

Their Lawyer: This isn't the series we agreed upon!

Me: *evil grin* Oh yes it is. You bought it before the hostile takeover.

Their Lawyer: We can't show this to children!

Me: Why the hell not? They hear worse in school!

OK, maybe that wouldn't work after all. -.-; Damn. Oh well, perhaps they'll let me borrow Yugi, Bakura, and their Yamis . . . *hentai grin* Fun fun.

OK, that's enough outta me. On to the chapter. *turns up the Sugarcult and off we go*  
  


Sanctuary

By: Nizuno Mikomi  
  


Chapter Three: Bouncing Off the Walls  
  


Oblivious to his aibou's emotional anguish, Yami drifted in the abyss that was the Realm of Souls. Around him, myriad shapes leaped and twisted impossibly. There was a time when he would have been afraid, but that was more than forever ago. Now all the dark Pharaoh felt was curiosity . . . and perhaps the slightest twinge of anxiety, but certainly not because of the millions of souls swirling all around him, hungering for life.

He felt terribly guilty about leaving so abruptly, without telling Yugi where he'd gone. His Light wasn't nearly as vulnerable nor as naive as he used to be, but Yami still felt a certain amount of possessiveness toward the giggly, cheerful boy who had freed him from the Millennium Puzzle. Yami knew that Yugi would be practically insane with worry after he found out that Yami was gone . . . .

'He has Aoi . . . he'll survive,' the Game King thought. For a moment, he reflected on the sarcastic, wise-cracking bounty hunter that had so captured Yugi's heart. He remembered only too well the night Yugi had met her, through their mutual friend, Yue. It hadn't exactly been love at first sight. A certain amount of verbal sparring had been necessary first. But after each had finally gotten up the courage to admit their feelings to the other, they became positively inseparable. They went everywhere together, watched each other's backs, shared a room, shared a bed, shared their secrets, their thoughts, their hopes and dreams . . . everything.

A tiny pang of what might have been mingled jealousy and regret gnawed with burning needle teeth at Yami for a split second before he crushed it utterly. Aoi was Yugi's guardian angel now, as he had once been.

'NO!' something inside him screamed. 'My Light! MINE!' Apparently, he was more possessive of the boy that he had thought.

That train of thought was derailed before it went much further by his arrival . . . somewhere. He landed with a muffled thud on a hard floor, his senses fogged and muffled.

Looking around as his vision cleared, Yami found himself in someone's Soul Room. Whose exactly it was, he had no idea. A surreptitious glance around took in the storm-colored walls, the sparse dark furniture, the prostrate figure on the grey and black canopied bed, the votives, the chessboard . . . wait a minute . . . .

His brain hit "rewind" in a hurry. Prostrate figure on a bed?

This demanded further investigation . . . and NOT for any remotely hentai reason whatsoever, either. 

Several cautious steps bore him across the room and he lifted a hand to draw aside the filmy curtain hanging around the large canopied bed. A better look at the figure lying therein short-circuited more than a few synapses.

It was a girl (or at least, it looked remarkably like one), deeply tanned and perfectly proportioned. She lay on her side, facing him, one arm across her chest, the other beneath her silver-maned head. Above the slope of her shoulder, which rose and fell with the rhythm of her breathing, he could see what looked like . . . wings. The Game King glanced back at the creature's face, serene and unguarded in sleep.

'What ARE you?' he wondered. 'And what am I doing here?' Was this the being that had called to him? One wing rustled as she shifted in her sleep. The movement dislodged the sheet that had previously covered her nearly to the waist. It now slid down past the curve of her hip, revealing far more skin than before. Yami's ruby eyes widened slightly. Was she . . . .

Ever so gently, he slipped a one finger beneath the dark sheet and pulled it down just far enough to ascertain that she was indeed completely nude . . . and the silver color of her hair was 100 percent natural. A rather large sweatdrop appeared on the side of his head as he realized exactly what he was doing. He snatched the offending hand away as if burned and stumbled backward several paces, silently thanking every god and goddess in Egyptian theology that Mik-chan couldn't see him now. She would never have let him live it down.

Unfortunately, said gods and goddesses have rather wicked senses of humor. The sound of his footsteps caused the winged being to stir . . . and yawn . . . and wake. Yami froze as two sleepy sable eyes blinked open and fixed directly upon his person.  
  


===  
  


The sound of stumbling footsteps woke Kanshisha. As her consciousness shook off the cobwebs of sleep, she noted the subtle change in the Ward surrounding her Room. It had been breached, but not by force.

'Ah,' she thought, smiling to herself. 'I have a visitor.' She opened her perfectly clear onyx eyes for a look and nearly lost her cool trying not to react. 'By the Light . . . someone up there must like me an awful lot.'

Her visitor was, as she had hoped, male, and undeniably gorgeous. Of course, the widened eyes and shocked/worried/apprehensive expression on his face didn't exactly add to his looks, but then, at least his head hadn't exploded. It was a start.

First things first. Her wings were cramped from staying in one position for so long. They needed to move, as did the rest of her. Much to her guest's obvious discomfort, she sat up, the black sheets pooling around her hips, and stretched her arms and wings thoroughly, giving vent to a great yawn in the process. Muscles reasonably awakened, she lowered her arms to rest in her lap and smiled at him. 

"Ohayou."  
  


===  
  


Yami's eye had never twitched so frequently or so fast in his entire life. His brain was short-circuiting on many levels now and the loss of control irritated him more than a little. The angel . . . that's what he had decided she was until something told him different . . . was sitting up now, affording him an uninhibited view of her torso. Said uninhibited view was the cause of most of said numerous short-circuits. Her voice when she greeted him was musical and pleasant, friendly and not in the least bit suspicious. 

Struggling to recover his scattered dignity, he managed to stammer out, "K-Konban wa, tenshi-san." The winged goddess laughed, a wide smile revealing perfect white teeth.

"What a clever one you are!" she crowed. At his confused expression, she continued, "To know me for what I am without being told . . . and to comprehend it without . . . yes, yes, clever indeed."

The Game King was completely lost now. He was in an unknown Soul Room somewhere in the Realm of Souls, chatting with what had to be an angel, who, by the by, was completely NAKED, and who seemed to trust him implicitly before she even knew his name. No mathematician in the world could make that add up. The angel cocked her bright silver head to one side.

"You must be very special for my Summons to have reached you," she remarked, crossing her ankles lotus-style and leaning the heels of her hands upon them. "Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same question," would have been the Pharaoh's usual haughty response, but now he surprised himself by making a polite bow and replying, "Yami." The mention of his name sent the angel into another fit of giggles, making that gorgeous figure of hers quiver and bounce in the most delectable way. Whether she laughed at him or his name, he didn't know, but it irked him all the same. "Forgive me, did I say something funny?"

"Rather!" the angel chuckled, wiping tears from her pitch-dark eyes. "Well, actually, more ironic than funny." She gestured to the stumped Game King, then to herself. "Yami . . . you whose name means darkness . . . I am the Light."  
  


===  
  


Well that does it for Chapter Three! As promised, they've FINALLY met. I'm rather proud of this chapter, actually. I wanted Kanshisha's style of speaking to have a sort of archaic ring, but with a modern edge to it, so I spent half an hour reading parts of C. S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" series before I began. So, if any other part of the language in this chapter, i.e. the imagery or what-have-you, sounds like C. S. Lewis, that's why. The language some of the royal characters use is more formal, more flowery, and it suits Kanshisha pretty well. At least, I think so.

In case you haven't noticed, I've been naming each chapters after whatever song happens to be playing as I begin. Last time it was "Get Off My Back," from the "Spirit" soundtrack. For this one, it was "Bouncing Off the Walls" by Sugarcult. Oddly enough, I usually listen to a repeating playlist when I work, so one of these chapters might be called "Stick 'Em Up" or "The Inevitable Return of the Great White Dope" . . . even though I have no intentions of bringing Ryou or his Yami into the story at this point . . . yes, that was a joke.

Yami Bakura: *Glare O' Death* Do you have a death wish, Mikomi?

NM: For me, no. For the dealership inspecting my car, yes please. -.-* And who taught you the Glare O' Death, anyway? That's patented property, Snowball!

Yami Bakura: O.o**** SNOWBALL?! WHY YOU LITTLE . . . . 

Aoi: *very calmly puts her gun to his head* None of that now. We still need her to finish this story and if you kill her before she brings Yami back and I have to spend the next thirty years with Yugi after his mental breakdown . . . I'm just gonna have to hurt something . . . and you're AWFULLY convenient.

Yami Bakura: -.- Grr . . . fine. Finish the damn thing.


	5. Chapter Four: Chantilly Lace

HEAR YE! HEAR YE! Since FF.N has been down for so damn long, I've ACTUALLY been able to get some work done! Please pick up your teeth, it wouldn't do to leave them on the floor like that. ^.~

So, anyhoo, here I am, back again with yet ANOTHER chapter . . . three written in one day, good Lord. After the last chapter, I've kinda had to write at gunpoint . . . *glares at Yami Bakura* . . . so to speak. I never shoulda mentioned the pixie-faced freak . . . now HE wants in! What am I gonna do?! TASUKETE MINNA! I know next to nothing about Ryou or his Yami (except that his Yami is a VIOLENT JERK!) and to make matters worse, my muse is agreeing with them! *glares at Mik-chan* It's a conspiracy, I tell ya. *much nodding from the peanut gallery*

Screw them, I'll figure it out later. *sigh* 

This chappie's gonna feature some "morning after" reactions. Yes, Yugi IS on the verge of a nervous breakdown, by the way. So for those of you who like Yugi torture, there it is. Outrageous amounts of angst are indeed a form of torture. I oughta know . . . . So, as we begin, everyone's sitting down to breakfast the following morning (did I mention Mik-chan can cook?), and as the chapter title suggests, we're going to get a closer look at the women of "Sanctuary." Oh, and by the way, expect slight ooc-ness from Yami and possibly Bakura (meaning Yami Bakura), as this is my first time writing for either character. Brace yourselves . . . aw, baby that's what I like ^.^ . . . . *cranks up da music*

  
  


Sanctuary

By: Nizuno Mikomi

  
  


Chapter Four: Chantilly Lace

  
  


"Does anybody want more than five?" Mik-chan asked over her shoulder, keeping one eye on breakfast.

"How big are they?" Miroku wanted to know.

"Bigger than anything you've got, houshi," Mik-chan quipped, sending him a toothy, teasing grin. Miroku's eyes widened.

"I didn't know they even MADE frying pans that size!" he marveled, earning a laugh from Mik-chan and a smack upside the head from Yue, who tended to be a bit on the surly side of a morning.

"Hentai," Yue growled, glaring at him over the dark circles under her eyes.

"Well," Mik-chan said, raising a brow, " SOMEbody needs her coffee."

"Coffeeeeee . . . ." Yue agreed, hunching down in her seat. This posture, along with her expression and wildly out-of-control bed head gave her a startling resemblance to a certain French bell ringer . . . but no one who valued his or her life was going to say THAT out loud, it falls to the author to inform the masses.

"Well, geez, Mik-chan, if she hasn't had her coffee yet, I'm going back to bed where it's safe!" Aoi joked, coming down the stairwell into the kitchen, fully dressed. This made her look incongruent, as the others were still in their pajamas and bathrobes. Aoi, however, could not adhere to this trend without breaking a few laws and causing more than a few nosebleeds. (You see, Aoi doesn't WEAR pajamas . . . or anything else for that matter . . . when she sleeps.)

"It should be done by now, Aoi," Mik-chan informed her. Aoi nodded and opened a cabinet, intending to fetch Yue down a mug.

"No, don't bother with a mug," Yue grunted from the table. "Just gimme the whole damn pot." Aoi brought her a mug anyway, knowing that Yue's early-morning caffeine cravings often overcame her common sense. Yue drained two cups of coffee, black, before Mik-chan brought the first plate of pancakes to the table . . . which is damned fast.

"Ah," she sighed happily, setting her mug down and picking up a knife and fork. "Now I can function."

"I've always wondered how you do that without drowning," Mik-chan wondered, putting the batter bowl in the sink and seating herself at the breakfast table. "Ne, Aoi, where's Yugi?"

"Wore him out, did you?" Miroku asked, grinning in his typical hentai fashion over his glass of orange juice. 

Aoi glared at him, aloof. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Yes please! Give me all the sordid details! Who's on top this week?" One of the girls . . . we'll never know who, perhaps it was all three . . . bashed him over the head with a chair and he passed out in his scrambled eggs. The houshi having been dispatched, Aoi addressed the question at hand.

"He'll be down in a few minutes," she explained. "He was still in bed when I left."

"So you DID wear him out." Apparently, Mik-chan belonged to Miroku's school of theorists. Aoi rolled her turquoise eyes in exasperation.

"You're incorrigible, both of you," she sighed. "And anyway, maybe I did. He looked like he hadn't slept too well and he was . . ." She hesitated, not sure how much to reveal just yet about the previous night's events. "He wasn't feeling too well last night."

"Aw, poor thing," Yue sympathized, drowning a forkful of pancakes in a puddle of syrup. "Is he okay?"

"I think so," Aoi replied. "Butter, please." Yue passed her the plastic tub and she continued. "Thanks. I've never known him to miss breakfast, especially when Mik-chan's cooking, so he'll be down approximately . . . ." She drew out the last syllable and looked at her watch, one finger raised, ready to point at the stairwell as hurried footsteps were heard scrambling down to the first floor. "Now."

On cue, Yugi tumbled into the kitchen, his clothing disheveled, breathing in short gasps, normally spiky hair in complete disarray, violet eyes wide and panicky. Noting the three major symptoms of a distressed Yugi, Aoi leaped to her feet.

"Don't worry, Yug," Mik-chan said genially. "There's still some breakfast left."

Aoi shot her a glare before asking, "What's the matter?"

"Yami!" was all Yugi could say before his legs suddenly gave out and he sat down hard on the kitchen floor. This brought Mik-chan and Yue to their feet, leaving an unconscious Miroku face down in his plate. Aoi reached her koishii first and propped him against a wall. 

"What is it? What about Yami?" she demanded, gripping Yugi by his thin shoulders. She could feel him shaking uncontrollably under her hands, his body racked with sobs of epic proportion.

After a brief flood of tears and a lot of whimpering, he managed to reply, "G-Gone . . . ."

"Gone?" Aoi's tone had softened slightly now. "Gone where?"

"Just . . . gone . . . ." The vibrant purple eyes stared at her blankly, looking frighteningly hollow and dull, as if he was looking through everyone present. Mik-chan and Aoi glanced at each other over his head.

'Water,' Aoi mouthed. Mik-chan nodded and rose to fetch a glass and towel. Yue vanished upstairs, presumably to dress for the Yami-hunt that was sure to ensue once Yugi was coherent, even though that might be hours yet. Meanwhile, Aoi sat down with her back to the wall and pulled the sobbing boy into her arms. He curled into a ball and hiccuped, sniffing back more tears and a lump in his throat that wouldn't go away. Aoi put a hand on his back, resting her cheek on top of his head. She closed her eyes, her brow furrowing as she felt his pain, his misery, his fear.

And it surprised her. Her eyes flew open again, sparkling with tears that were not her own.

'What . . . ?' She stared down at her distraught lover, half in wonder, half in an undesignated emotion closely akin to both fear and awe. She had felt his pain, FELT it, at if it were a part of her. 'But I'm not . . . .'

No. No time for that now. She had to calm Yugi down and then find Yami. Basic reasoning and problem solving: identify the problem, identify the cause, determine a solution, act. There would be time later for figuring out this disturbing new connection between them.

She just hoped Yugi would be sane by the time they got around to it.

  
  


===

  
  


"So let me get this straight," Yami said, leaning back in his chair and regarding Kanshisha with a level gaze. "Your name is Kanshisha. You're an angel."

"Archangel," she corrected him. Yami nodded.

"Archangel," he repeated. "Guardian of the Realm of Earth and Keeper of the Light."

A nod from that shining silvery head. "Right so far."

"You're not a physical being . . . at least not until the Summoner completes the Ritual of Ascension."

"Which hasn't happened for many years now," Kanshisha put in with a wistful sigh.

"Right . . . and you called me to this place because you're lonely?" Yami concluded. Kanshisha nodded again, a gesture she had been using frequently over the course their conversation.

"That I did," she confirmed. "You have no idea how desolate it gets here. No one to talk with, not even another voice to listen to . . . and the damned, dull, dreary, eternal SAMENESS of it all!" She glared viciously at a wall and took a deep breath. "It's like to drive one insane."

"Uh-huh," Yami replied, his eyes fixated on her chest, which had drawn his attention for the fifty-third time when she breathed in. Kanshisha noticed his line of vision and raised an eyebrow, frowning slightly.

"Those aren't speaking to you. I am." Yami's head flew up fast enough to make his vertebrae crack.

"Gomen ne . . . ." he muttered, blushing profusely, hating himself both for the blush and the looking. Kanshisha tilted her head to the side like an inquisitive bird.

"Do I . . . distract you?" she wondered.

"In a way."

"My apologies. I shall remedy that." She tossed the sheets aside and stood. Yami pinched his nose shut against the torrent that was probably not too far off and prayed. 'In the name of all things sacred . . . Ra, what have I done to deserve this?!' He crossed his legs as his clothing suddenly became a tad . . . confining. A soft white glow surrounded the Archangel, brightening and coalescing in strategic places. The glow winked out suddenly, leaving her clothed in her white ceremonial garb.

"Better?" she asked, seating herself on the edge of the bed. He nodded, his brain busying itself in a thorough appraisal.

The pure white of the ritual garment did everything to emphasize the silver of the Guardian's flowing waist-length hair, which had loosed itself from its multitude of plaits as she "dressed," and made her already bronze skin seem two shades darker. No less attractive for being decently covered, her body was lean and strong, with the kind of long-waisted, slender-limbed, natural beauty that most girls would kill for. Her face was proud but not haughty, guarded but not unfriendly, open but not unprotected, wise but not scornful. Eyes black as a night without stars regarded him with compassion, interest, and a touch of amusement.

Yami was surprising himself in spades today. Normally, he would have scowled darkly at the amused glint in her eyes, demanded to know what right she had to call upon HIM, a Pharaoh, and then forced her to tell him how to return to the Realm of Earth.

Not today, though.

Today, he nodded and queried in a conversational tone that scared him outs of his wits, "You called to me because you were lonely and now I'm here. So . . . now what?" 

Kanshisha paused, twisting her mouth to one side and furrowing her brow in thought. Suddenly, an image of the long forgotten chess board flashed into her mind and she grinned at the Game King, lifting one arm in a sweeping gesture toward the little table. "I don't suppose you play."

Yami had to grin. "Of course I do. There's a reason for my being called the King of Games."

A raised eyebrow from Kanshisha. "Do tell. Of all games?"

"Yes."

"Well, in that case," she grinned, "I'll just have to trounce you." A flicker of a gesture from one up-raised hand brought the chessboard skimming across the room to rest between them. Kanshisha grinned at him challengingly. For the briefest second, Yami suffered a severe attack of dejá vu. For the briefest second, Kanshisha looked exactly like Aoi. For the briefest second, he wanted to go home. Then he consciously reminded himself that the King of Games NEVER backed down from a challenge. The cool, calculating mask slid into place.

"Let's duel, then," he intoned, leaning forward.

Kanshisha moved her first pawn. "Lay on, Game King."

  
  


===

  
  


"All right, this is getting ridiculous," Mik-chan griped, flopping onto the couch with an overdone sigh. "Where the hell is that fern-headed nimrod?"

Aoi could only shake her head and hand Yugi another tissue. A thorough search of the residence from cellar to crawlspace had turned up neither hide nor hair of the Game King, Yugi was still crying, though not as violently as before, having managed to calm down to a lot of shaking and quiet sniffles, and Mik-chan was dangerously close to losing what little patience she had been born with . . . which is to say, not much. Muscles twitching in frustration, she leaped off the couch and began wearing a rut in the carpet as the gray light of a rainstorm dribbled in through the windows.

"Nothing on the grounds," Yue reported, shaking the rain off her wings as she came in the front door, one seriously wet and bedraggled monk trailing along behind her. She spared a worried glance for Yugi, still curled up in Aoi's lap, clinging to the one source of comfort he could find. "How is he?"

"Not good," was the concise reply. "He's still not talking, just crying." She saw fit not to mention the hollow aching emptiness she felt radiating from him, gnawing at her own heart. The implications horrified her.

'Empathy,' she thought, 'is a bitch.' Yue chewed her lip thoughtfully as Miroku tried unsuccessfully to wring the rainwater from his robes.

"I can't think of anywhere else he would have gone, or why he might have left so suddenly without telling one of us, Yugi at least." Aoi nodded her agreement, hugging her slight lover closer as his sobs picked up afresh. "I'm going to go get dried off." Yue peeled off her by-now drenched coat and slogged upstairs to do just that.

"I don't suppose you were expecting loyalty," said a new voice, dark and cold. Mik-chan ceased her pacing and sent a menacing glare toward the doorway, where a slender boy with stark white hair leaned against the jamb, regarding them all with scornful amusement.

"You," she hissed.

"Me," Bakura nodded. Now Aoi had joined the hateful glaring party.

"What do you want, Bakura?" the bounty hunter growled, turquoise eyes hardening to bits of glacial ice. "Come by to see how you can make things worse?" The Dark Side of Ryou Bakura affected a look of injured innocence, clapping one hand to his stone-cold heart.

"Honestly, would I do such a thing?" he asked, eyes widening.

"Yes," Aoi and Mik-chan responded in unison. A shrug from Bakura.

"All right, you caught me. What's the matter with the weakling?" The pointed chin jerked upwards to indicate Yugi. Aoi's jaw clenched the tiniest bit. Mik-chan saw and recognized the warning sign. Bakura did not.

"If you don't already know," Mik-chan icily, before Aoi could say something completely unprintable, "I see no reason to tell you."

"He knows," came a quavering voice from inside the protective huddle of Aoi's arms.

"Yugi?" The distraught little light raised his head, tears still streaming from his huge purple eyes.

"He knows," he repeated. "Otherwise he wouldn't be here."

"You DO catch on quickly, don't you?" Bakura sneered, with a condescending smirk. "There may be hope for you and yours yet, little one."

"Are you gonna come to a point any time soon?" Aoi interjected, looking decidedly fed up with the pixie-faced yami. "Cause if not, I suggest you leave."

Bakura raised an eyebrow at the implied threat hiding within her words. "Leave?"

Aoi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Quickly." 

Mik-chan stole a glance over her shoulder. Aoi had not donned her sidearm this morning as she usually did, thankfully. However, being put through a wall or two or three would doubtless do a similar amount of damage to their unwanted visitor should he provoke her any further.

"Honestly, you have the poorest hosting skills I have ever seen," Bakura was saying, with a disappointed shake of his silver-blonde head.

"Call me slow, but I have yet to discern the point of all this," Aoi said in a smooth, even voice that signaled an imminent end to her patience. "If you do indeed HAVE a point, I suggest you enlighten us." She shifted Yugi to the side, placing herself between him and Bakura. "And be quick about it."

Bakura shrugged apathetically. Suspecting that his answer would be somewhat less-than-amiable, Mik-chan shifted her weight from her left leg to her right. If his answer was indeed calculated to infuriate (and she had no doubt that it would be), better that she reached him before Aoi. If the highly protective, notoriously volatile bounty hunter got there first, they'd be cleaning his blood and organ tissue out of the carpet for weeks. Not exactly a thrilling prospect.

"Well," Bakura drawled, "I was just passing by . . . ." A snort from Aoi, just loud enough to be heard, sincerely doubted it. He glared at her and continued. "I was passing by and I noticed that I didn't feel the presence of a certain insufferable moron like I usually do." He paused and a disapproving frown tugged the corners of his mouth down as he surveyed the group. "Unfortunately, there seem to be several left. Pity . . . ."

Aoi restrained herself from what she would have termed "justifiable homicide." Barely.

"Anyway," Bakura went on, "When I felt him missing, I simply HAD to come in and see if it had finally happened."

"What," Aoi snapped, though both she and Mik-chan had a feeling that they didn't really want to know.

"I had to see," Bakura said, grinning nastily, "if Yami had finally come to his senses and ditched that sniveling brat for something better." A slim, pale finger pointed to Yugi, who, his emotional state being less then stable, promptly burst into tears again. 

About half a second later, Bakura suddenly found himself a foot off the floor, pinned to the wall with Aoi's hand wrapped tightly around his throat. Said bounty hunter was glaring viciously at him, her murderous intent silvering her blue eyes to a chilling steely gray. Mik-chan cursed silently. Aoi was royally pissed off, more so than Mik-chan had ever seen her, and that meant Bakura would shortly be rendered into worm fodder if something wasn't done PDQ. 

Over on the couch, Yugi whimpered and choked on a sob. The sound of her beloved in pain caught Aoi's attention. She glanced over her shoulder, analyzed the situation, dropped Bakura rather unceremoniously to the floor.

"Get him out of my sight," she snarled, making her way to the couch. Bakura sat against the wall, his normally pale skin tinged with pink. He smiled guilelessly up at Mik-chan, seemingly unaware of just how close he had come to being put through the wall.

"Oh dear," he murmured with mock concern. "Have I said something amiss?" Mik-chan said nothing as she grabbed him by the collar and all but dragged him to the door. "Shall I take this to mean I'm no longer welcome?"

"Didja ever know a blood-sucking albino leech from Hell that was?" Mik-chan replied, opening the door. "Let me put you on notice before I throw your sorry ass out." She yanked him up so that they were eye-to-eye. "If you come back here uninvited, if you hurt Yugi again, if we find out at some point down the road that you had ANYTHING to do with Yami's disappearance, I can personally guarantee that you will be maimed for life."

"What, not killed?" was the sardonic reply from a somewhat disheveled Bakura, who had acquired that despicable grin again.

"Oh, I won't kill you," Mik-chan promised. "I don't know if I can say the same for Aoi, violent thing that she is." She tossed him out into the damp gray afternoon. "Get lost." She slammed the door, leaving a sullen Bakura to pick himself up out of the mud puddle that had so graciously broken his fall and make his way home, muttering darkly the whole way.

  
  


===

  
  


Well, that turned out a little longer than I expected . . . *shrug* Whatever . . . .

Anyhoo, judging by the way Yami B plays so well with others (yeah, right), I think I'll just have to bring him back for a later chapter. 

Besides, *sly grin* I love the idea of titling a chapter "Inevitable Return of the Great White Dope."

Yami Bakura: -.-* I hate you . . . .

NM: :P Nyeh. R&R minna. Arigatou.


	6. Chapter Five: Keep 'Em Separated

Well, I'm back once again. Gomen nasai for the long wait. I've been busy with various unimportant time-wasting things . . .like college and moving into my own apartment (^.^ YAY!) and a thousand other silly little things like that. 

So stop your whining and read my new stuff!

Now, there's one thing that bothers me (besides the fact that I'm the youngest person in my apartment complex -.-;) and that is the fact that I have gotten ONE SINGLE SOLITARY REVIEWER since I posted the last two chapters. This irks me mightily. -.- Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful to Gatochu-san for reviewing ch 2 and 5, but what about the rest of you who just breeze on through without bothering to let me know how the heck I'm doing?

Allow me to enlighten you all. I write because I enjoy it. I post because I want to share my work with others. This is not easy for me because I am very insecure about myself and my literary skills. Ergo, since I have made the effort and taken the risk and put myself at the mercy of the ravening mob, I'd like a little feedback. 

So REVIEW! *blasts The Offspring from her laptop speakers* Y'know, I really should post a soundtrack list for this fic . . . .

Sanctuary

By: Nizuno Mikomi

Chapter Five: Keep 'Em Separated

*Realm of Souls*

Yami watched in stupefied silence as Kanshisha grinned at him across the chess board and very calmly set down her rook.

"Checkmate."

"What?! Impossible!" Frantically, he scanned the board, hoping for a loophole, only to find that he was indeed checkmated. The King of Games had been toppled by an Archangel.

Yami wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that.

Kanshisha smiled genially. "Would you care to try again?" He arched a single brow and reached for the black pieces.

"Absolutely."

===

*Realm of Earth*

"Aw, come on, Yug!" Mik-chan pleaded. "You've got to eat SOMETHING!" Yugi pursed his lips and shook his head mutely, thin arms crossed over a stomach that hadn't been fed with anything more substantial than soup crackers since Bakura's surprise visit three days earlier. His purple eyes looked faded and duller than before, with small dark circles beginning to show underneath. All in all, he didn't look so good. 

Next to him, Aoi sighed heavily and cupped her face in her right hand, her elbow resting on the table, looking a little worse for wear herself. Seeing as Yugi hadn't slept much since Yami's disappearance, she hadn't either. Between the insomnia and the nightmares that plagued the boy when sleep finally came, rest and rejuvenation had taken a holiday somewhere in the South Pacific. Yue's brow furrowed as she glanced back and forth between them, concern clouding her dark eyes.

The one thing they were somewhat thankful for was the fact that Yugi had finally stopped crying as of the day before. He was still an emotional wreck, however, and more often than not he sat staring off into space. He was still in his chair mostly due to luck and a few well-timed nudges from Aoi and Mik-chan, seated on either side.

"It's no use, Mik-chan," Aoi was mumbling. "He's got no appetite and what he does eat, he can't keep down for very long." She paused to look over at her lover, running the backs of her fingers down his cheek. "Koishii . . . can you just try? Onegai? For me?" Yugi shook his head again.

"Is there something else we can do?" Yue asked, leaning over the table.

"Yes, anything that will help, just say the word," Miroku agreed, putting one palm flat on the tile next to his girlfriend. Yugi raised his head slightly, through what seemed like a superhuman effort, and focused on the winged girl across from him, his expression clearly saying, "You already know." The aching emptiness in those usually bright and happy purple eyes nearly brought Yue to tears. Silence reigned in the kitchen for several minutes. The air seemed to grow heavier, pressing down on everyone with an invisible weight that barely allowed for breathing, but made speech and movement impossible.

Naturally, the ringing doorbell produced plenty of Olympic-worthy jumps.

Aoi managed to collect herself first and went out to answer the door. A moment later, a shout and a terrified cry brought everyone except Yugi running into the foyer, where they found a short, white-haired boy cowering by the door with one extremely edgy bounty hunter glaring daggers at him down the barrel of .357 Combat Magnum. Yue reacted first, seizing and lifting the other girl's arm so that the target sight line was disrupted.

"Aoi, no!" she commanded as the blue-haired girl scowled at her. "It's not him! It's not Bakura!" This gave Aoi pause and she looked more closely at her intended victim, who stared back at her with very large, very frightened brown eyes.

"Ryou." She lowered the gun and clicked both safeties back on. "My mistake." With that to serve as her apology, she stalked back out to the kitchen.

"Gomen nasai, Ryou-kun," Mik-chan smiled, helping the shaken boy to his feet. "We've all been a little . . . on edge lately."

"S-Some more than others, I see," Ryou managed, running a hand through his hopelessly disheveled white hair.

"Aa . . . Yugi's not sleeping, so neither is she," Yue put in. "What brings you to our miserable hovel today?"

"I came to offer my apologies for Yami's actions a few days ago." This earned three nearly identical expressions of surprise. "He, of course, isn't sorry at all." A downward glance. "But I am."

'Incredible,' Yue thought. 'After all that selfish twit has put him through, he still feels responsible for his yami's actions.'

"We don't need an apology from you, Ryou-kun," Miroku told him. "And we know quite well that your yami would never condescend to do such a thing. So don't worry about it."

"Aa," Mik-chan said, grinning wryly. "Besides, I have this weird feeling that two bullets in his head would be Aoi's version of 'apology not accepted' even if he did." Ryou nodded mutely.

"I believe you. How is Yugi doing? Any improvement?"

"Not much. He's still not eating or sleeping well enough to give us any kind of hope." Yue took his elbow and steered him toward the kitchen, not unaware of the wince he gave. "Maybe you should talk to him, perhaps it would help." Ryou pried her fingers off his arm and nodded.

"I'll try." He headed into the kitchen, Miroku following to referee . . . just in case.

"What do you think?" Mik-chan said in an undertone once they'd gone.

"I think he's been hit again," Yue replied. "He's hiding it remarkably well, but . . . ."

"Not well enough," Mik-chan agreed, frowning. "I'd like to get my hands on that bleached sand rat, show him a thing or two about REAL pain . . . ." She cracked her knuckles for emphasis.

"Be real," Yue chided her. "He'd take you apart in five minutes, if it even took THAT long. You wouldn't have a chance." Mik-chan glanced back at her friend and raised an eyebrow, her dark jade eyes gleaming.

"Maybe I wouldn't . . . ." Her eyes flickered suddenly, turning a bright glittering peridot. "But I would."

"Nizuno Mikomi," Yue said, acknowledging the Dark Side of Mik-chan.

"Aa. My hikari's been keeping me posted," the former assassin nodded, her voice a shade deeper than her more jovial counterpart. "She told me everything that conceited, manipulative wax weasel did. Spineless gutter-crawling pond scum of a filthy tomb robber. And I certainly wouldn't object to beating the piss out of that little fairy-faced sonuva . . . ." She trailed off as Yue gestured frantically for her to shut up. "Ne? Nani kore?" Yue winced and nodded toward the archway leading into the kitchen, under which stood said fairy-faced SOB's nicer side.

"Kon'nichi wa, Mikomi-san," Ryou said quietly, with an expression halfway between very offended and very hurt.

"Kon'nichi wa," Mikomi replied, her stoic mask not changing one iota. Ryou's eyes hardened and a muscle in his face twitched.

"No . . . ." he muttered, clenching his teeth. "Yami, no . . . don't do it . . . don't . . . ." The schizophrenic struggle went on for nearly a minute before the white-haired boy's dark eyes turned to ice and he snarled at the former assassin, baring perfect white teeth in a frightening grimace.

"Yami Bakura, I presume," the Hitokiri said flatly, arching a single dark brow.

"Bitch," the Dark Thief spat. "If you want to insult me so badly, do it now!" Mikomi shrugged and flicked her long chestnut braid over her shoulder.

"Very well, you ignorant pasty-faced flea farm. I'm always happy to insult people who would be out of their depth in a parking lot puddle. It brings me such joy to inform them that if they were any more dense, light would bend around them. Which reminds me, what are you doing here anyway? Did someone forget to lock your cage? And speaking of cages, tell me, how does it feel to be the first male in your family to be born without a tail?" Bakura's pale face was livid. Several veins stood out on his forehead like ropes of pasta under his skin.

"Teme . . . ." His fists clenched and unclenched spasmodically. "I'll tear you limb from limb and feed your rotting bones to the dogs!" He growled low in his throat and leaped at her. Mikomi didn't bat an eyelash as she stepped to the side, gently pushing Yue out of harm's way as well. Bakura stumbled, turned quickly, and came at her again. This time they collided and tumbled about the room in a whirlwind of flailing limbs.

"Yamete! Stop it, you two!" Yue commanded, her wings spread threateningly. "Stop it this minute!" The tomb robber and the Hitokiri, of course, ignored her, choosing instead to continue beating each other's heads in as best they could. Several choice phrases (which would up the rating of this story, so I won't repeat them) were exchanged along with blows to every imaginable part of the body. Neither combatant was using much skill or any specific technique. After all, this wasn't war; it was a brawl, a knock-down, drag-out, anything-goes fist fight. 

Mikomi was loving every minute.

"Come on, Paleface!" she taunted, landing an uppercut that snapped Bakura's head back like a puppet on a string that is yanked suddenly. "You sounded so tough a minute ago, show me what you've got!" The Dark One let out a roar and left-hooked her in the jaw, causing the sword fighter to stumble back a pace. Yue took advantage of the situation and placed herself directly between them, wings outstretched as a barrier.

"Both of you, knock it off!" she hollered. "You're acting like children!"

"Move." Bakura shoved her to the side and went after Mikomi again as Aoi, Yugi, and Miroku hurried out from the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about. Well, Aoi and Miroku hurried; Yugi kind of trudged, but he got there just the same. Yue, sprawled against the foot of the stairs, collected the bounty hunter with a glance.

"Aoi, gun," she said in a tone that they had come to know brooked no argument. Aoi pulled the .357 from it's holster and slid it across the floor to her friend. Yue regained her feet and in less than an eye blink, the muzzle of the Combat Magnum was making a dent in Bakura's pale head. He froze and Mikomi, knowing better than to contradict Yue at this point, got the hell out of her way.

"That's just about e-goddamned-nuff, Bakura," Yue said coldly. "Mikomi." The assassin nodded, her eyes fading from piercing peridot to mellow jade once more.

"Idiot," Bakura sneered. "How are you supposed to shoot me in the head with both safeties on?" There were two quiet clicks as Yue disengaged the safeties without moving the gun.

"You were saying?"

"You can't kill me anyway, you know. You'd be killing Ryou as well."

"I'm well aware of that fact, Bakura," Yue told him. "Which is why you're going to let him out now before my trigger finger slips . . . accidentally." Bakura glanced to the side and saw eyes as cold and cruel as his own. Yue WAS bluffing . . . wasn't she?

"Fine," he said, shaking her off. "Have it your way." The Millennium Ring flashed and Ryou stood before them once more, looking about as well and happy as the floor of a taxi cab. Switching the twin safeties on, Yue handed the gun to it's rightful owner, who looked very pleased to have it back. Ryou swiped at the blood running from his nose, cringing at the purple-yellow bruise blossoming below his left eye. Mik-chan winced, her brow furrowed in regret.

"Gomen nasai," she said softly. 

"No, no," Ryou said, waving her away. "I'm used to it." A look passed between Mik-chan and Yue.

"That's just not right," Aoi said under her breath, shaking her head. "I mean, really." Ryou tried to grin unaffectedly and hissed through his teeth; his lower lip was split and beginning to swell.

"Let me see that." Yue pulled his hand away, ignoring his protests, an examined the injury. She made a face. "Oo, looks pretty nasty. Come on, let's put some ice on that." Not even acknowledging Ryou's insistences that he was fine, she took hold of his elbow and dragged him out to the kitchen.

===

Well, that does it for Chapter Five! I must say, I'm not as happy with this one as I have been with the others so far. It's much darker and was a really depressing piece to write. *sigh* This is what happens when you listen to your muse too much.

Mik-chan: -.-* I resent that.

NM: Yes, well . . .the next time you get a brilliant idea at 2:37 AM EST, keep it to yourself, 'cause I'm rolling the hell over and going back to sleep!

NOTE: For those of you who are about to go, "Wait just a doggone minute here . . . ." I'll beat you to the punch. NO, Mik-chan does NOT have a yami like Yugi and Ryou. Mikomi is indeed similar to a yami in the way she is presented in this chapter, but she isn't one. If you've seen 'Rurouni Kenshin,' think Mik-chan = Himura Kenshin, Mikomi = Battousai. For those of you who don't watch Kenshin, I will pray for your souls and try to think of another way to explain this.

Anyhoo . . . I should have Chapter Six out sometime soon. I'm not entirely sure when, as it hasn't been written yet! ^.^; However, I DO know that it will be set entirely in the Realm of Souls. Kanshisha and Yami have some discussing to do . . .and did you know that even Pharaohs get homesick? Lucky for him, he's stranded with an angel!

I finished writing the ending the other day. For all intents and purposes, this story is finished, in that it has an ending, a final chapter/scene/whatever. Now it's just a matter of getting there . . .aiya . . . .

Oh, and remember that pretty little note thingy at the top? Yeah, THAT one. The one that says, "REVIEW!" How 'bout you do that now, ne? ^.^ Review or I'll take out the wonderful citrus-y goodness that I have planned for later!

Yugi/Yami/Aoi/Kanshisha: Aw, NO!

NM: Who said any of YOU were getting laid?

Aoi: Well, damnit, we're the main couples aren't we?

NM: There's still one more . . . .

Yugi: You mean Yue and Miroku.

*pause*

All: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!

Yue: *smack* Aho. I don't do lemons, not even as a cameo.

NM: No one said it was you either!

Yami: Well, who else is left?

Yue: *warning glance* Mikomi, you'd better not be thinking what I think it is you're thinking!

NM: *big wide innocent eyes* Why, Yue-chan! Whatever DO you mean?

Yue: -.-

Yugi: Um, I've seen her recent reviews. She's not going . . .yaoi . . .is she?

NM: *enigmatic grin* Wouldn't you like to know.

Yugi: Yes, I would. So that I could run away and hide in plenty of time.

Yami: *puts an arm around Yugi* Honestly, aibou, where's your sense of adventure?

Yugi/Aoi: O.O;;;;;

Yugi: *runs away screaming*

Aoi: -.-;; You've been into Yue's coffee again, haven't you?

Yami: *twitches madly, eyes darting everywhere* OfcoursenotwhatevergaveyouthatimpressionI'mjustfineIamyesindeedydojustfinejustfine . . . .

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.

NM: *swat* No more coffee for you . . . . .


End file.
